About drkatecollier

Author of traditional mysteries featuring the Penningtons of Tompkins College in Tompkins Falls, NY. Also Instructional Designer, Curriculum Developer and Professor for Online Teaching and Learning. Also romance author, writing as Katie O'Boyle, series Lakeside Porches, from Soul Mate Publishing, set in Tompkins Falls in the Finger Lakes of Upstate NY.

Cynthia Riggs’ Martha’s Vineyard mystery Poison Ivy takes place at a small college on the Vineyard, Ivy Green, where nonagenarian crime-solver Victoria Trumbull is an adjunct poetry professor. I loved Mrs. Trumbull as a poetry teacher focused on her students’ expression in various poetic forms; and as advocate for three students whose research is plagiarized by their tenure-seeking sociology professor. An overarching theme is the (often abusive) power struggle that plays out in a dozen deadly ways in the college tenure process.

Mrs. Trumbull finds the first body– a tenured professor dead a few weeks without anyone missing him. Thanks to the caretaker’s dog who has a nose for cadavers, more bodies are exhumed. Soon the campus is pock-marked by graves dug by a perfectly respectable serial killer twisted and scarred from his own tenure ordeal. As the drama unfolded, I cheered for the two women who opted out of tenure madness and admired…

I met a really exciting character this week and just have to share what I learned with you.

Lyssa Pennington is a spunky economics professor who, when she’s not tackling huge egos and nasty gossipers on campus, solves mysteries. In fact, for Lyssa, the more thrilling the better!

She’s a handful and a half, and a blast to be around.

Want to know more about Lyssa and her stories? Read on…

I’m so excited you’ve asked me to interview, Terri! I love solving murders with my husband, Kyle, in The Penningtons Investigate, but I’m excited about having the spotlight just on me, Lyssa Pennington, today.

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?I couldn’t survive without my sense of humor. My habit of looking for something laughable in even the most serious situations has helped me get through some terribly difficult times. As my husband, Kyle, says I’m…

Fun with Definitions

By Bebb, M. S. Wikimedia.com

The English language is nothing if not strange. Its homonyms and homophones can confuse anyone. Add synonyms to the mix and that’s a lot to learn. Here’s another twist you can add to the complexity of our language: the redefining of words throughout the ages. When I was a kid, sick meant you were ill, not feeling well as in “I’m too sick to go to school.” In the eighties, the word came to mean awful, terrible as in “She’s so sick. I hate her.” Today when the kids call something “sick” they’re not referring to germs, they’re making the word a compliment: “That concert was sick!”

As writers, we should consider the changing guard of words as a challenge and use them to add flavor to our books. This can be especially interesting if you want to put your out-of-time…

Great tips on reviewing a book for a fellow author. (Yes, I’m still happy to gift you my mystery, Planted, in exchange for an honest review!)

So, you’ve read a great book lately have you? Maybe even found yourself a new “keeper” author. Can’t wait for that next great read?

Like any other entertainment professional, authors need encouragement. Validation over and above the initial sale. Where do we get that much-needed encouragement? Through an honest review.

Tips for leaving a review:

Most importantly, a review can be short. Don’t feel like you have to recap the entire book. That’s the sole purpose of the posted blurb. Two to three sentences outlining your reaction is more than enough. And, of course, set the ‘star’ ranking.

Example: “I usually don’t care for secret baby stories, but this one was different. Cody was the smartest, cutest thing ever. Sometimes adults are so stupidly blind, but that’s what makes love grand! Great story.”~ 5-star Amazon Review for Home is Where the Hunk is

Colleges have come a long was from the old Lecture/Recitation model of education. Today’s undergraduate students learn valuable life lessons in the field through civil engagement, and they get hands-on real-life experience by participating in their professors’ research projects. As an author and avid reader, I’m enjoying the new crop of academic mysteries that show students gathering and analyzing data and engaging in other aspects of timely scholarly research.

Two authors are stand outs: Lesley A. Diehl and Charlene D’Avanzo.

Diehl’s character Laura Murphy is a psychology professor in upstate New York. In the 2016 mystery from Creekside Publishing, Failure is Fatal, Laura’s ongoing study in sexual harassment on campus is at the heart of the story. A student is murdered, and the description of the murder is one of the anonymous responses to the study’s current round of data gathering. This is not a grisly or grim tale, however, as Diehl’s humor…

When the incomparable Kim Loraine asked to interview one of the lead characters from Waking Up To Love, a sweet contemporary romance set in my beloved Finger Lakes of Upstate New York, I asked Lyssa Doughty and her good friend Kyle Pennington to decide for themselves who would have the honors. Lyssa won the coin toss. Enjoy meeting her, Kim!

–Katie O’Boyle, author

Where are you from, Lyssa?

I grew up in the Southern Tier of New York State. Lots of hills and orchards and small towns. My sister Manda and I lived in a blue house on a pretty side street not far from a college campus.

So how did you come by your British accent?

Do I still have it? I lived for a year in London on a post-doctoral fellowship. That’s where I met Kyle, who’s from Cornwall. He and I talk every day, and I…

I have a completely non-spooky post in store for you today. It starts with a review of a new book release and ends with a giveaway!

Intrigued? Read on.

Waking Up to Love

by Katie O’Boyle

About the book

Kyle Pennington broke Lyssa’s heart when he let her go, rather than interfere with her budding career. An ocean away now, Lyssa has fallen under the spell of golden-tongued Rand Cunningham who’s in a hurry to marry her. But Kyle is miserable without her and is willing to risk everything to get her back. Will Lyssa wake up in time to ask who she really loves?

Hi Everyone! I’m on the road with Mr. Don (the most romantic man in the world), traveling to our winter home in South Texas. And as usual I’m not only dealing with spotty internet but also the Mother of all editing deadlines, so I thought I’d post part of a presentation I created for RWA-Australia. A subject near and dear to my heart:

How to Edit for Querying Success! Or, How to edit your work so it sparkles… (before you submit to a publishing house)

As an Acquisitions Editor, I look for quality, passion, a story that will absolutely sweep me away. I want that alpha hero who isn’t perfect, the strong yet flawed woman who will complete him, and I want them to be brave enough and smart enough—and in love enough—to save each other. Along the way I expect a riveting tale I can’t set down, not even…

Today I have Madelyn Hill at the Blogathon! And she’s got a fun giveaway, so stay tuned for that.

Madelyn, welcome! Tell us all about you! What would you most like your readers to know?

I’m currently a teacher in New York State, prior to teaching I was a stay at home mom and before that a Mechanical Engineer. I’m married with 3 children – 2 in college (EEEK!) and my youngest in high school. We love sports (I’m a soccer mom!), cooking, hanging out, and going to the movies. If you want to know about a movie, ask me!

Are you one of those writers born with a pen in your hand and ideas flitting through your mind, or did your interest develop later?

I like to think I was born with a book in my hand, but my mother told a slightly different story. I wrote since…

Posted this morning on my website, fun with fellow authors at a book signing in Clifton Springs. Thanks Bev Lewis, Ellen Hegarty and John Avanzato for your fellowship and, especially Bev for organizing us!http://www.katieoboyle.com/?p=282